Following their victory against the then-No. 1 Gamecocks, the Bruins were ranked the top team in the country for the first time in program history.

And they have not slowed down.

No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball (7-0) began play in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, hosted by Hawaiʻi, Friday with a 97-37 victory over UT Martin (1-5) and a 97-41 victory over Fresno State (5-3) Saturday. The 60-point spread against the Skyhawks marked the largest margin of victory for the Bruins this season and was nearly eclipsed by the succeeding 56-point victory against the Bulldogs.

UCLA will round out tournament play against the home team, Hawaiʻi, Sunday. 

Against UT Martin, junior center Lauren Betts led UCLA in both scoring and rebounding with 18 and 12, respectively. The performance marked Betts’ fifth double-double of the year, which was closely followed by a sixth against Fresno State.

“The numbers that (Betts) is putting up with the coverage she is facing is truly remarkable,” coach Cori Close said.

Four other Bruins joined Betts in double-digit scoring against the Skyhawks. Among the group was junior guard Gabriela Jaquez, who scored 17 points – shooting 8-for-9 – and added 4 rebounds of her own.

This marked an early season high in scoring for Jaquez, who has battled an ankle injury throughout November, forcing her to miss UCLA’s Nov. 10 matchup against Colgate.

“She’s such a stabilizer. She always plays so hard all the time, and you can always count on that from Gabs. It’s really fun to see that kind of consistency,” Close said.

Junior forward Timea Gardiner and junior guard Londynn Jones scored 11 points against UT Martin, with the former making two 3-pointers on three attempts and the latter with three 3-pointers on seven tries. 

The squad shot 44.4% from beyond-the-arc and 52.9% from the field and collected 47 rebounds, out-rebounding its opponents for a fifth consecutive game, just a tick below the Bruins’ season average of 49 rebounds per game.

As UCLA football wrapped its season with a victory over Fresno State, women’s basketball added another against the Bulldogs just minutes later.

Once again, five Bruins found themselves with double-figures in points Saturday. Betts spearheaded the offensive attack with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance, while Jaquez and junior guard Kiki Rice added 15 points each. 

Rice also dished six assists in the victory, solidifying the performance as a season high in points and assists. This comes in just her fourth game back from a shoulder injury that kept her sidelined from the Bruins’ first three matches.

“Today was the first day we had old Kiki back. It was really fun to see her joy and her play making and her smile,” Close said.

The Bruins continue to exemplify their depth through widespread offensive contributions from both familiar and new faces.

Freshman forward Kendall Dudley totaled 17 points, shooting 72.7% from the field, and added nine rebounds over the two game span. Nine of these points came against the Bulldogs, which marked her career high.

“I move her around in all different spots, and her basketball IQ is so high she’s able to do those kinds of things. I called two different timeouts and drew up plays we’d never run, and Kendall was in the right place each time,” Close said.

Despite the Bruins’ ranking as the top team in the country, both games had low attendance, and neither was televised.

“We’re the number one team in the country,” Close said. “Pay attention.”